2008 Rays Are No ‘06 Tigers. They’re Better. A Lot Better.
By Mike McClary in Featured, Fungoes | 4 comments
Ever since the Tampa Bay Rays took off this season and showed they were for real, some made comparisons to them and the 2006 Detroit Tigers. There are plenty of similarities not the least of which is making it to the American League Championship Series and the World Series.
That’s where the similarities end.
This Rays team is a lot better and a lot tougher than the ‘06 Tigers, and one reason stands out: They held off the hard-charging second-place Red Sox until the last weekend of the year and won the division. (Remember how well the Tigers handled the final series of ‘06?) And who do they face in the ALCS? The same Sox.
With the game-seven win, it seems like the pressure of September has only helped the Rays vanquish the Red Sox in October.
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Kurt | Oct 19, 2008 | Reply
I was thinking the same thing, Mike. I don’t expect the 08 Rays are going to whimper off after this year like the 07-08 Tigers did, either. They are young and should remain tough. Scary thought.
Ian C. | Oct 20, 2008 | Reply
I also wonder if the Phillies might warrant some comparison to the 2006 Tigers, in terms of having a long break between the NLCS and the World Series.
We’ll never quite know, of course, but I think a big reason the Tigers were so lackluster in the ‘06 was that they got to sit around for a week, hear how great they were and how they were going to crush the Cardinals.
No one is saying, of course, that the Rays are inferior to the Phillies. But they’ve had to play at a high level for the last two games, while Shane Victorino and Co. tried to keep loose taking batting practice. That could make a big difference.
Jim Craddock | Oct 23, 2008 | Reply
The other reasons the Rays are better than the ‘06 Tigers (it really sucks to write that, BTW) is that their young pitching is deeper, and more of their everyday lineup is homegrown, younger, and all came up together.
I think we all underestimate the fact that the Tigers, while building a stable of young arms, didn’t have a lot of position player break out (other than Granderson, of course). Longoria, Upton, Crawford, and Navarro form a solid core of that lineup, and they all came up through the Rays system. Navarro came in a trade, but he was still a kid when that happened.
And the pitching! Their rotation has four potential number 1s. Although I think Kazmir will end up as their Bonderman (potential ace stolen in a deal only to be hit with control problems and passed up by younger talent).
Jim Craddock | Oct 23, 2008 | Reply
In my previous post, I meant to say that the ‘06 Tigers didn’t have many HOMEGROWN position players break out. Maggs, Pudge, Polanco, etc. all came from elsewhere.